1) Being a people pleaser is exhausting.
2) My favorite foods are the ones I was nervous to try at first.
3) Love people expecting nothing in return.
4) There's nothing like a shoe with good arch support.
5) God doesn't break His promises.
6) People are way more gracious with you when you own up to your mistakes.
7) "A Christian" is not a synonym for "A Republican."
8) Sex was worth the wait.
9) But the wait was HARD.
10) Sense of humor is one of my highest values in friendships.
11) Find a mentor. And that doesn't mean asking a stranger to meet with you once a week for an hour.
12) Some things you learned as a child just aren't true. Keep learning, growing, asking questions, and don't be afraid to change your stance.
13) Your thyroid effects way more in your body than you ever realized. Not having one effects all. those. things.
14) Giving to someone in need is equal parts about helping their need, and about helping my heart.
15) Keeping short accounts of offenses is a path to freedom.
16) There is nothing in life I have control over, except the choices I make. Period.
17) "God won't give you more than you can handle" is a lie and not found in the Bible.
18) There are lots of "Christianese" sayings that aren't biblical or true. We need to stop saying them.
19) Don't belabor and exasperate your acceptance of an apology. Accept it and move on.
20) Apologizing to your kids when you're wrong is a powerful gift to them. You pretending that you don't need to apologize is not.
21) There is nothing I can do to make God love me less.
22) There is nothing I can do to make God love me more.
23) Comparison and contentment cannot co-exist.
24) "You're easy to come home to!" is one of my favorite things my husband has said to me.
25) "I'm pretty sure if there was an award given for who has the best sex, we would win." is the other favorite thing my husband has said to me. Loving your physical relationship with your spouse is good. Very good.
26) I don't like the taste of alcohol. I have tried to acquire the taste. It just isn't something I enjoy and that's ok. This frustrates some people. And that's ok too.
27) When I parent with 'behavior modification' as my goal, it is very dissatisfying. When I parent with 'reaching their heart' as the goal, it is very satisfying.
28) Divorce when kids are involved, no matter the reason, and no matter how loving the parent, has lasting effects on the kids.
29) God speaks to us if we are willing to listen.
30) Listening to God takes space. And time. And shutting our mouths.
31) The inventor of Poo-pouri deserves an award.
32) The greatest gift my parents gave me was their healthy, loving marriage.
33) We keep a loving, healthy marriage with gratitude and selflessness. And annual get-aways without the kids.
34) Being an intentional mom and a spontaneous mom are equal parts important.
35) The key to living a content life, is living open handed. Willing to release what God wants you to release, and ready receive what God wants to give you.
36) If someone gossips TO you about other people, they will gossip ABOUT YOU to other people. Don't gossip. Period.
37) "More of Jesus and less of me" does not mean I diminish who I am. It means I magnify who HE is IN me.
38) Learning to say "No" is one of the most powerful things I learned, way too late in life.
39) There is one ingredient to having the most painful times in life turn out to be the most powerful, joy-filled, healing times in life. And His name is Jesus.
40) "40 is the new.." nothing. It's not the new 30. Or the new 20. 40 is 40. And that is OK. It's good, even. Each line on my face tells a story. The times I laughed until I cried, found rest in a warm, sunny getaway, cried myself to sleep... The joy, the pain, the laughter, the tears. 40 years of life and life to the full. How grateful I am to be alive!
Cheers to 40 and cheers to 40 more!
